Die Hard Before Nakatomi
by piratebloodprincessheart
Summary: They're intelligent. They're German. They kill without remorse. Hans Grüber and his gang of terrorists are planning a heist. But what they didn't expect to encounter was a pretty, young woman, who jeopardizes Hans' reputatation...
1. Jingle Bell Shock

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything, save for the basic plot. And my created characters, I guess. (God, I _wished_ I owned Hans Grüber!)

**A/N: **I noticed that there's only one story about _Die Hard_ (it's good, by the way - read it), so I figured I'd write another. Here goes…

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Decorated evergreens in every corner. Mistletoe every quarter inch. Paper-chains hanging from the ceiling. It was clearly Christmastime. And the last place Adelaide Ricci expected to be spending it was in an airport.

"I can't believe Grigori arranged all this," she commented to her best friend, Julia Lampart.

"Yes," she replied. "Apparently he can do it, as a pilot." Adelaide nodded and took another sip from her alcoholic beverage.

The small New York airport had been closed, only for the pilot, Grigori Campbell, and his friends for a Christmas party. Since there were only thirty or so people on the same business trip, they had agreed to stay at the airport for awhile, then fly back to Los Angeles, via Grigori's private jet.

"More champagne, Adelaide?" questioned Grigori, walking around with a bottle.

"I'd love some, thank you," she replied, holding up her near-empty glass. "This party's really great. I'm glad I have people to spend Christmas with."

"I know it's been hard…breaking up with Tom."

"That's one way of putting it – I'd call it dumping me."

Grigori nodded supportively. "Well, I just want you to know that I'm here for you. We all are."

Adelaide smiled. "Thanks again, Grigori. That means a lot to me."

The party continued, and there were festive, holiday songs playing from one of the guests' stereo. Adelaide danced to '_Jingle Bell Rock_' with Julia, as Grigori watched her from a distance.

"You like her, don't ya, mate?" teased Grigori's friend, Mike O'Malley.

"What?" said Grigori, perplexed by his remark. "No I don't."

Mike punched him in the arm. "Ah, you do, too. I can see it in your eyes."

"Oh, piss off, Mike."

"Hey, listen – if you don't make a move, I will."

"Fine," Grigori said, pushing past his friend, and strode over to Adelaide. "Care to dance?"

"Oh, I'd love to," Adelaide replied, as '_Carol of the Bells_' started playing. She put down her drink and placed her arms around Grigori's shoulders. "I'm really having a great time, Grigori." She gazed into his deep, chestnut eyes.

"I'm glad," he replied, looking back at her nervously.

Suddenly, the doors at the front of the airport started rattling. "Probably some punk-ass kids, trying to blaze up," Grigori said. "Get lost!" The noise stopped and the people continued their conversations. Until the breaking of glass was heard. Everyone screamed as a dozen or so men came bursting into the room.

"This airport was _supposed_ to be empty," hissed one of them, apparently the leader. He looked around disapprovingly.

"Gut können wir das lösen," grinned one, holding up his machine gun, as the others laughed.

"What did he say, Addie?" whispered Julia.

"My German isn't that great, but I think he said 'we can solve that'," she replied, shuddering.

"Oh, God, they're gonna kill us," panicked Julia. "We're gonna die. They're gonna shoot us."

"Be quiet," Adelaide warned. "They can't kill thirty people and get away with it." Still, twelve men armed with guns couldn't walk into a room without causing a commotion. People were still screaming and huddling together.

"Cease your infernal racket!" ordered the leader, shooting the roof. "We are not going to hurt you _if_ you listen to our demands."

Everyone felt the urge to scream, but didn't.

"Now, we are going to proceed with our business, and you will stay in this room, and not make a sound."

All but one man disappeared. The others looked quite shaken up, save for Adelaide, who stood up instantly.

"Where're you going?" questioned Mike.

"To see what exactly their business is," she replied.

"Are you completely mad!?" Mike exclaimed. "You'll get yourself killed, you will."

"Maybe," she said. "But then you'll know for sure if they're dangerous, and can call someone. Here." She handed Mike her cellphone. "If anything's up, call the police." With that, she walked off.

"She said 'if'," noted Mike. "That's a good sign…"

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**A/N: **How's it so far? Oh, and the 'German' part is not, by far, actual German, though I am learning it. But then again, neither is the German in the _Die Hard_ script, so hey…


	2. One of the Gang

**A/N: **Thanks so much for the reviews! Here's the next installment:

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Adelaide stormed up to one of the men. "What are you  
doing?" she questioned, making the leader jump slightly. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, turning around.

"I believe I asked you first," Adelaide said. "We have a right to know what is happening, since a couple of men with guns just intruded on our Christmas party."

"I'm so sorry we interrupted. But we cannot reveal too much to you, for fear that you might…rise against us."

"Let's see – you have about a dozen men, and though our population is near double that, you're the ones with the machine guns, and we have mere carryon bags. However, if you do provoke us, we may come at you with an assortment of pens, candy wrappers, and Walkmans."

"Oh, that's very clever." Suddenly, he grabbed Adelaide's wrist and brought her back to the others. "Now, stay here and be of no further burden to us."

Adelaide looked in the man's eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Hans Grüber. If I told you anything else, I'd have to kill you. And it'd be a terrible shame to waste something so beautiful."

"Hey, you made it," Mike said. "I knew you would."

Adelaide gave him a skeptical look and said, "Well, the leader's name is Hans Grüber. And as we gathered from before, they are German. But that's all I found out. They're very secretive."

The others nodded. "What do we do?" asked Julia, clearly still frightened for her life

"Well, I suggest we go back to having a jolly old good time because I'm all out of ideas." Adelaide stood up and turned the music back on. The next song was '_Feliz Navidad_'. "Come on, let's dance."

Reluctantly and hesitantly, the others joined in. The next thing they knew, Hans and the others had returned. Without warning, Hans took out his handgun and shot the stereo, making everyone jump.

"What – do they not play Christmas carols back in Germany?" questioned Adelaide, hands on hips, raising an eyebrow.

Ignoring her, Hans said, "Now, we seem to have stumbled upon a minor inconvenience. Among us, there is no one petite enough to fit in a really small place. And, unfortunately, there are no children among you, so we have come to ask who is quite small…anyone?"

Julia clutched Adelaide's arm.

"Well, if you do not volunteer yourselves, I will have to find someone by process of elimination." Hans cocked his gun.

He strode over to where Adelaide was standing. "Ah, our curious guest," he said, offering his hand to her, and looking her up and down. "If you would kindly follow me…"

Adelaide walked with Hans to a back staircase. They went down many flights, until the final door read: _Basement_. He opened the door and gestured for Adelaide to venture through.

Once in the cold basement, she saw the other terrorists. "Hey, who's this chick?" said a black man.

"Theo, this is…" Hans began, waiting for Adelaide to finish.

"Adelaide Ricci," she replied. "But it's Miss Ricci to all of you."

"Well, _Miss Ricci_, here, is going to help us crack this safe."

"What safe? I didn't say I'd help you."

"You don't have a choice, I'm afraid." Hans placed his hands on Adelaide's shoulders. "You do it…or you die."

Hans and a tall, blond man led Adelaide to a corner of the basement. They swiped their cards through the door and walked into a smaller room.

"See, this is what we need you to get through," said Theo, kneeling down to show Adelaide a small shaft, where a fan was.

"That's impossible," Adelaide said shortly.

"Not for you," Hans said. "You look thin enough to fit through."

"You know, Mr. Grüber," began Adelaide. "That is the sweetest compliment I've ever gotten…which is kinda sad, when you think about it…fine, I'll do it."

A couple of the men stopped the fan and broke it off, so Adelaide could crawl through the tunnel.

"Okay, I'm through," Adelaide called back. "Now what?"

"Now, do you see another door?" Theo asked.

"Yes."

"Go through that, and from there, you'll have thirteen seconds to set off the alarms, thus opening a back door. If the alarms are not deactivated, the police will come…and one of these guys, here, will kill you."

"Thirteen seconds? No one said anything about there being a time limit."

"You never asked," Hans replied.


	3. No Way Out

A/N: Well, this chapter came up quicker than expected! Enjoy!

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Gulping back her fear, Adelaide opened the door. At once, she heard the alarm go. She scrambled around to find a switch to turn it off. She found it and flicked it. Adelaide then collapsed to the floor in relief.

Hans and the others walked through another door. "Congratulations," he said. "You have my trust."

Adelaide clasped her hands together. "Oh, I'm so honoured."

"You should be."

"English may not be such a foreign language to you, but sarcasm sure is."

Hans seemed to ignore her comments, and make his way to the other end of the room.

"This safe requires thirteen keys in order for it to be opened," Theo said. "Do we have them?"

"Only our twelve," Hans replied.

"But we need the thirteenth."

"And how do you suggest we find it?" At that moment, Hans' cellphone rang, and he picked it up. "Hallo? Simon? Ich bin ziemlich beschäftigt im Augenblick. Ich bin in England. Ja. Ja. Wie wissen Sie, dass wir in den Safe des Flughafens brechen? Und wie wissen Sie, dass wir die dreizehnte Taste nicht haben? Gott, Simon, ich wissen, dass Sie mein großer Bruder sind, aber ehrlich, ich schwöre, dass Sie Kameras haben, schauend mir zu.. Nehme jetzt ich nicht an, dass _Sie_ die dreizehnte Taste haben? Macht einer der Gäste? Wie können Sie sicher sein? Wartezeit. Simon!"

"Who was it?" Karl questioned.

"My older brother, Simon," replied Hans. "He knows our plans."

"Plans?" repeated Adelaide. "What plans? Seems to me that the lot of you are highly unorganized."

"I am not unorganized," Hans said firmly. "I am just caught off guard. But a leader must always be prepared."

Adelaide put her hands on her hips. "Well, you certainly have a high opinion of yourself, don't you, Mr. Grüber?"

"Anyways," Hans continued. "Simon says that one of the guests has the thirteenth key. He says that we should search them."

"Simon says?" Adelaide interrupted again. "Do you always do what your brother says?"

"I do not need my brother." Hans looked slightly angered. "I can do this on my own."

As he advanced on her, Adelaide said, "I-I believe you. You're qu-quite independent…sir."

"Hans, your brother's fucking whack!" said Theo.

"I know," Hans replied. "But he's telling the truth. Otherwise, why would these guests be in this airport."

"Uh, it's a party," Adelaide put in.

"Yes, and who organized this party?" Hans questioned.

"My boss, Grigori."

"And who organized it for him?"

"I dunno. I think he had connections."

Theo clapped his hands together. "There you go! The three degrees of Simon Grüber!"

Despite the circumstances, Adelaide had to smile.

So a couple of the terrorists disappeared for a bit, to search for the missing key. As they did so, the remaining ones placed their keys into the desired slots. Franco, Tony, and Marco returned with no luck.

"They don't have it," replied Tony. "Your brother must've been lying."

"Hey, what about her," Karl said, nodding toward Adelaide. "We haven't searched her yet."

Karl strode over to her and caressed her arm playfully. Adelaide gulped. "Step away from her, Karl," Hans said. "Adelaide – "

"Miss Ricci," she interjected.

"Oh, we're beyond formalities, by now, aren't we?" Hans grinned. "But anyhow, you don't happen to have our key, do you? I trust that you'd tell us if you did." Hans then glanced at Adelaide's neck. Around it was a thin, silver string, almost invisible against her fair skin.

He traced it with his hand and grabbed the object on the end of it. "Th-there's a start," Adelaide said, smiling weakly. Hans yanked and the clasp on the necklace came undone.

"Gentlemen, we have our thirteenth key," Hans announced.

Adelaide had tried to back away. _'I need to tell the others,'_ she thought to herself urgently. Suddenly, the terrorists spotted her and Hans pounced.

"Come with us, Adelaide," he said calmly.

"Huh?" she asked. "No!"

Suddenly, two men, Karl and Tony, came up behind her and dragged her to another part of the room.

"Get your hands off me!" Adelaide pulled out of the terrorists' grasps. "What do you want? I gave you my key. I'm of no further value to you."

"Oh, quite contraire, Adelaide, my love. You may be more valuable to us than the sum we are about to obtain."


	4. Down and Dirty

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A/N: Due to…popular demand, I will try to make these damn chapters longer. Keyword: try. I make no promises. Also, I have a lot of exams to study for, so this is all I could do. I'll still try to add more, so please be patient.

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A couple minutes later, Adelaide found herself being tied up to a chair. "What's all this for?" she questioned.

"Although you may have my trust, the other terrorists think I am being too soft on you," Hans replied.

"Well, you could be a little softer on the ropes." Adelaide winced. "And why am I suddenly your best friend? Well, besides for the tying me up part…"

"Well, your sincerity, honesty, and intelligence may be useful to us…and you're easy enough on the eyes."

Adelaide scowled at him.

"Tony, stellen Sie den Knebel in ihren Mund."

Before Adelaide knew what was happening, she had a gag in her mouth.

"I also like it better when you aren't talking," Hans replied, smiling slightly in spite of himself.

"I'm gonna find out what's happening," Grigori said to his colleagues, standing up.

"But you may get hurt!" fretted Julia.

"I'm more worried about Adelaide getting hurt," Grigori said. And with that, he was gone.

A few moments later, Grigori strode in the room where the terrorists were. This attracted everyone's attention, and Adelaide struggled to see who it was. She screamed into the gag when she saw Grigori.

"What the hell are you doing with her!?" demanded Grigori, running over to Adelaide.

"I'm afraid that's none of your business," Hans said, stepping in front of her. "Now, listen to what is your business: I want you to stay in the other room and watch the others. When I return, if there is one person missing…there will soon be another."

"Ooh, a death threat," Grigori muttered to himself, being led away by Karl.

Hans put the last key in the keyhole and him and twelve others turned the keys. The safe sprung open. But in it were not piles of gold bars. It was a ladder.

"Must we?" Adelaide asked.

"Ladies first," Hans replied.

Adelaide sighed and Hans helped her down the tunnel. "Ew, oh, God, it's like a sewer down here!"

"Well, it is what lies under all buildings."

Suddenly, she screamed. "What the hell is that!?"

Hans and the others followed her down. "Just a rat," he replied.

Adelaide looked extremely disgusted and clung very close to Hans. The tunnel eventually ended, where rows and rows of doors stood.

"Well, what now?" said Marco.

The others shrugged in response.

"Hey, boss," Theo began. "My laptop says that behind each of these doors is a bomb."

"Then how the hell are we supposed to get through!?" Karl exploded.

"Just lemme finish, spaz. Through the right one, however, there's a bomb that's set to – guess – thirteen seconds. That will give us enough time to disable it."

"So…are there any clues as to which is the right door?" Tony inquired.

"Yeah," Theo replied. "Read that sign over there."

He pointed and Hans walked over to the first door. He read the note aloud, which said, "How many letters are in the alphabet?"

Everyone turned to Adelaide. "Well, twenty-six," she said. "But why is it always thirteen?"

"Because it will be unlucky if you make a mistake," Hans said into her ear.

"Me?" Adelaide asked. "Why must I choose the door?" "Because you are expendable," Karl said. Adelaide's eyes shook as she looked up at him.

She walked nervously toward the twenty-sixth door. Closing her eyes, she reached for the door, when suddenly Hans grabbed her arm and stopped her. "No – it isn't right for a woman to sacrifice herself."

Hans snapped his fingers. "Franz, schnell!"

Franz rolled his eyes and pushed open the twenty-sixth door. Instantly it exploded, and the others ducked out of the way.

Karl then shot up and stomped over to Adelaide, who was just standing up. He started cursing in German and then hit her with the back of his hand.

Her cheek red, she looked back up at him with tears in her eyes. Karl looked ready to strike her again, when Hans grabbed his arm.

"You _never_ strike a lady!" he shouted. "Not whilst I am in charge." Adelaide looked up with almost admiration for Hans.

"Did you not just see what happened!?" Karl said. "She killed Franz!"

"Under _my _order!" Hans argued back. "I told her not to open the door."

"Yeah, but you trusted her to find the answer to the riddle!" Karl shouted.

"She didn't know it was wrong!"

"How can you be so sure!? She's not on our side! She's with _them_!"

"Good point, Karl," Theo said. "Boss, we should probably check on _them_."

Hans nodded and they all crawled back up the ladder. Karl merely snarled at Adelaide as she fearfully hurried up.

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A/N: To 'Esteban T. Rodriguez, I do hope you write a story on Die Hard - there needs to be more! Too bad in this one, there'll be no John McClane, ergo, no reason to use the best line ever, "yippie-ki-yay…" Well, you know the rest.


	5. Slip of the Gun

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A/N: Well, I have a chapter up. It's…810 words, yay! But I should probably go 'study'…

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Hans strode into the main lobby, armed with a revolver. "Nineteen…twenty," Hans counted. "Twenty-one…twenty-two…why do I only count twenty-two?"

"I don't know," Adelaide replied. "Is there someone missing?"

"You know perfectly well that there is." Hans then marched up to Grigori, who was sitting down. He grabbed him by his collar and hoisted him up on his feet. "You let one of them go. Now, they probably went to the police. You do know what this means, don't you?"

Before Grigori could even open his mouth to reply, Hans fired his revolver at his chest. Adelaide, as well as everyone else in the room, screamed.

"Hans, how could you!?" Adelaide shrieked at him.

"Ah, so we are past formalities," he said, brushing her hair away from her face.

Adelaide turned away, as someone came running into the room. "What is it?" Julia asked. "I heard a gunshot."

"Oh, my God, Julia, where were you?" Adelaide panicked.

"In the washroom," she replied. "Why?"

She was the missing guest. Without warning, Adelaide burst into tears. "I never wanted this to happen. I just wanted to have a good Christmas with my friends. And now, possible the only person who ever cared about me is dead. Now I'm never even gonna get my first real kiss under the mistletoe! This is all my fault!"

Adelaide cried even harder and collapsed on one of the chairs, while Julia stroked her hair.

As Hans started towards her, Julia shouted at him, "Get away from her, you jerk! Can't you see she's having a hard enough time as it is?"

"I'll take that under advisement," Hans replied, tugging on Adelaide's arm.

Powerless and unwilling to argue, Adelaide sniffed and allowed herself to be led back down to the sewers.

"Now, look at me – look at me!" Hans said. "What is the right door?" He shook Adelaide. "Tell me, girl!"

"It's…it's number eleven," she said softly, her face shining and wet. "In 'the alphabet', there are eleven letters. I swear I didn't think of that until now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for Franz to…"

"It's okay," Hans said. As the other terrorists – save for Franco and Fritz who had agreed to watch over the guests – appeared behind him, he lost his softness. He pushed Adelaide into Karl and opened the eleventh door.

The bomb was activated, and he quickly motioned for Theo to deactivate it. The numbers counted down, and the others were shouting and cursing.

"Listen, shut up! Shut up!" Theo shouted. Sweating and trying hard to concentrate, he was able to do it, with one second remaining on the timer – the only possible time it could be for true suspense.

"Phew," he said, sighing in relief. "Done."

Suddenly, police sirens could be heard from a distance. "We have to go back," Karl said. "There will be policemen swarming if they hear what the people have to say."

Hans nodded, as Karl, machine gun in hand, ushered everyone into a small room.

"Where are we going?" asked someone in the crowd.

"Silence," ordered Karl.

The guests were all now in a dark, cramped room, unsure of what was happening. Until they heard voices.

"Did you hear a commotion here, Frank?" came a gruff man's voice.

"Nah," replied Frank. "Some bozo just called, saying he heard gunshots."

"They're police officers," whispered Julia, to anyone who could hear.

"You say one word," warned Karl. "And I shoot you and your friends."

Julia gulped and stayed silent, as did the other scared people in the crowded room.

The first police officer laughed. "Gunshots? From an abandoned airport? Fat chance. I think we have ourselves a crack addict. Maybe we should check out his place."

The two men chuckled to themselves, and their footsteps became fainter. Once Karl was sure that the cops had gone, he pushed them back out again.

"That was close," Hans said, once Karl had returned. "Too close. We must hurry, or else this building will not hold out. And neither will these people."

"I'm tired," Adelaide said suddenly. "And I'm sure the other guests are, too. We need sleep."

"Very well," said Hans. "You can return to the others and rest only in the main room. But we may need you up if something should arise."

Adelaide was escorted out and she told the others to rest. Some were fearful that they would be killed in their sleep, but Adelaide tried to convince them that the terrorists did not necessarily want more innocent blood on their hands.

Adelaide tossed and turned, but finally she was able to get to sleep – even though it was very uncomfortable. However, it only felt like a couple minutes had passed, when Adelaide felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes flickered open and she looked up to face Hans. "As promised, we need you up," Hans said.


	6. Brotherly Love

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A/N: Yay, another chapters up! This is my personal favourite, and you'll see why…

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Very dizzy and disoriented, Adelaide stood up and almost immediately stumbled into Hans' arms. She looked up at him for a moment, before breaking their gaze. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Hans looked upset for some reason. "There is someone who wishes to see you," he replied.

"Me?" she questioned, allowing herself to be led into the other room. "Who would want to see – "

There was a new man, a taller one, standing among the other terrorists. "Hello, miss," he said, coming closer. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Simon, Hans' older, more attractive brother."

"I'm Adelaide Ricci," she said, extending her hand to him, not knowing what else to do. "Pleasure." _'This must've been who Hans was talking to on the phone,'_ she thought.

"It's all mine," Simon replied, kissing her hand.

Adelaide blushed slightly.

"What do you want Simon?" Hans spat. There was clearly a dispute between the two, as expected between any siblings.

"Dear brother," smiled Simon. "I want what you want – money."

"Well, clearly, this spot is currently occupied. So if you don't mind…"

"But I do mind. I mind very much. It occurred to me that I should be entitled to some of the profit."

"And where do you base your facts on this assumption?"

"In c-case you have f-f-forgotten, I helped you g-get here. I arranged this little get-together. I told you that one of the guests had the needed key."

"Ah, still stuttering, I see," Hans mused. Though she had just met him, Adelaide felt bad for Hans' older brother. However, Simon was just as slick.

"Still flinch when firing a gun?" he retorted.

Adelaide hadn't even registered the fact that Hans slightly jumped when shooting Grigori. Instantly, she shook this thought from her mind.

For a moment, there was strict tension between the brothers, that not even Karl or the others would attempt to break. However, Adelaide was brave enough – or foolish enough – to try.

"Um, excuse me," she interjected, making the Grüber brothers stare at her, not exactly helping her level of comfort. "But, uh…who's watching the guests?"

The terrorists, so absorbed in the dispute between Hans and Simon, had completely forgotten about their duty. They all ran into the other room, where most of the guests were sleeping. Save for Mike, who was still in possession of Adelaide's cellphone, and dialing a number.

"Take that from him!" Hans ordered, as Uli marched up to him and snatched the phone away.

"What?" Mike asked. "I was ordering a pizza. I haven't eaten since lunch!"

"It is a good idea," put in Theo. "I'm pretty starved, too."

__

"Hello? Hello?" said a voice from the phone. _"Is anyone there?"_

Theo picked up the cellphone and said, "Yeah, we'll take about five large pizzas. All toppings. Address? Uh, the Charleston West Airport."

__

"Sorry, sir, we don't deliver to public buildings."

"You do now – we'll pay you a hundred dollars."

With that, Theo turned off the phone and threw it to Hans. "Dinner is served," he said.

Eddie was waiting by the door to pay the pizza-guy. He returned with five boxes and many of the guests were awoken by the smell.

Adelaide gently nudged Julia and offered her a piece. "It's probably poisoned," Julia said, looking warily at the pizza slice.

"They just ordered it," Adelaide reasoned. "And there wasn't enough time for Eddie to get the pizzas, poison them, then come back. Also – Theo's eating it."

"Damn right I'm eating it," he said. "Hey, boss, aren't you having some?"

Hans shook his head, still standing at a distance.

"What do you want a knife and fork?" Adelaide asked.

"I'm certainly not eating it with my hands," Hans said. "It might spill on my suit."

"Ooh, the horror," Adelaide mocked.

"You misunderstand – it's Italian."

Adelaide rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, with your hands is the only way God intended us to eat pizza." She took a bite. "Wanna slice?"

"I'm still going to have to pass."

"You never were the fun type, Hans," Simon said. "Me, on the other hand…" He shot a smile at Adelaide, who immediately looked down, and pretended to be extremely fascinated with the intricate designs on the pepperoni pieces.

"You, on the other hand, were always getting us into trouble," Hans said.

"And getting us back out of it."

"You were nothing but a nuisance, Simon. You were always interfering with my plans."

"Do not forget that it was me who helped you devise that plan to

"And it failed! That one time when I was foolish enough to listen to you, it got us dismissed from the Volksfrei movement."

Simon shrugged, unmoved. "We were better off, anyway."

"That's not the point!"

"Then would you kindly tell me what is, dear brother?"

By this time, the guests had finished all five pizzas, and were staring, engrossed in the Germans' conversation.

"Forget it," Hans said, walking away. Adelaide, feeling somewhat obliged to go after him. Before leaving, she grabbed a bottle of champagne leftover from the party and a couple of glasses.

Hans exited the airport in anger and walked down one of the runways. Adelaide ran out a couple minutes later.

"Hans!" she called after him, the cold December air making her long hair and scarf whip violently behind her.

"What do you want?" he asked. "And for God's sakes, don't say money."

Adelaide smiled. "I was just wondering if you wanted a drink."

Hans glanced at the bottle and nodded. Adelaide poured him some and handed it to him.

"God, this is sweet," he said, with a disgusted expression on his face.

"It's American," Adelaide said. "Not quite as bitter as you're used to, I guess."

Hans shook his head. He noticed that Adelaide was slightly shivering. He then took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

Adelaide gazed up at him gratefully. _'Maybe there is some good in him,'_ she thought. "Hans…do you hate your brother?"

He took awhile to respond. "No. I just don't like him."

Adelaide merely nodded. "We should go back inside. After all, we still have to see what's behind door number eleven."

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A/N: Omg, I just realised that the 'pizza scene' is kinda a reference to the first movie's famous lines: "…this line is reserved for emergency calls only." "No fucking shit lady - do I sound like I'm ordering a pizza!?" lol, anyway…


	7. Rewarded at Last

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A/N: Finally, I'm done my exams! I can update now. Sorry to keep you guys so long.

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Hans and Adelaide walked back inside, glad to embrace the warmth. "Back so soon?" Simon questioned. "Have you come to make amends?"

"Hardly," Hans replied. "I have come to claim my money."

"You do mean _our_ money, don't you?" Simon said, as they and some of the other terrorists started walking into the other room.

"No, I stand by my first statement."

"Listen, all I want is fifty percent."

Hans laughed. "I wouldn't give anyone fifty percent. Five percent."

"Forty."

"Ten."

"Thirty."

"Fifteen – that's my final offer."

Simon looked quite pleased. "Fine. That's something we can both live with. But Adelaide gets a share if the profit."

"Huh?" Adelaide said, just clueing in. "Oh, I don't need any of it. I'm not becoming an accessory…"

"You won't be," replied Simon. "You'll be under my protection."

"_Our_ protection, right, Simon?" Hans tried. "You don't think I'm going to abandon her after this, do you?"

Adelaide was shocked. She didn't know how to feel. A million emotions were running through her. Did Simon _and_ Hans both care about her? This was turning into a sick and twisted soap opera.

"Adelaide?" began Simon.

"I-I think w-we should stick to retrieving that money," she said uneasily. "A-and we'll go from there."

"Oh, now look what you've done, Simon," Hans mused. "You've got her stammering."

Simon scowled, as they continued to where the underground doors were located.

"This way," Hans said, hoping that his brother would not notice they're earlier mistake. However, it was inevitable.

"I see you tried twenty-six, first," Simon said. "No luck?"

"It was a difficult riddle," Hans replied with no emotion.

Simon laughed. "You should know by now that I am a master of riddles. Had you called me, you could've prevented this little mishap."

"Well, you know how expensive those long-distance calls are…"

Simon made no remark. Instead, he and the others walked down the steps behind the eleventh door.

"Here it is, boys," Theo said, rubbing his hands together, as they all crowded around another safe. This one only had one keyhole.

"Well, what now?" Kristoff asked.

"Clearly, it requires one of the keys you already used in the previous locks," Simon said.

Hans grimaced, as if he knew that information already and didn't need to be told. He nodded to Heinrich, who retraced their steps and returned with the thirteen keys.

He tried them all of them, and discovered that it was Alexander's key that fit. "I hope this isn't another ladder," Adelaide thought aloud. Heinrich turned the key and opened the safe.

Inside, was the long-awaited money – the money worth holding up a whole airport to get. Adelaide gasped. "I've never seen so many bills in my life," she breathed. "How much is there?"

"Oh, it's about a billion American dollars," Hans replied, and at Adelaide's expression added, "Give or take."

Each of the terrorists had a medium-sized black briefcase, and immediately began stuffing it full of the stacks of money. Hans, of course, received the majority, but yet his case was still not protruding with one-hundred dollar bills.

He walked up to Adelaide and handed her a wad of cash. Adelaide hesitantly accepted, still many doubts in her mind.

"One hundred thousand," he said. "The least I could do for all of your help."

"I really didn't do all that much…" Adelaide said modestly.

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't've had the last key," Hans noted. "And you were the one who deactivated that alarm."

"Well, maybe I was good for something."

Hans smiled and Adelaide returned it.

"So are we just supposed to walk out of here?" Adelaide asked after awhile. "With one billion dollars?"

"No, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves," Hans said.

"But it _is_ the middle of the night…"

"Which will make a dozen men, plus some random guests leaving an airport, even more suspicious."

Adelaide nodded. "Then how do you propose we leave?"

"Can I take this one, Hans?" Theo cut in.

"Be my guest," Hans replied, making a gesture with his hand.

"First, we're gonna load this all this into a plane," Theo began. "Then we're gonna hop on that plane to Los Angeles. Any questions?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes. "Is it really that simple? Do you have a pilot?"

"Do you know of one?" Hans asked.

"Actually, yes, I do…no, wait – he's dead."

"Is there any chance that you could stop talking about that?" Hans pushed past her.

Adelaide spun around in anger. "How am I supposed to get over someone falling lifeless in front of me?

"I did."

There was a mix of angst and fury in her eyes. "You haven't known him for ten years! He was my boss, but more importantly my friend."

Now it was Hans' turn to roll his eyes. He turned to face her. "Do you think me completely heartless!? That I feel nothing when looking down the barrel of a gun at someone!?"

"Oh, yes, it must be so difficult to shoot a person you know nothing about!" Adelaide was fuming. "God, I need a drink…"


	8. Helping the Enemy

**A/N: **yawn Finally finished. I stayed up for awhile doing this one, 'cause I was on a roll. I didn't even realize it was that late - I just looked at the time and it was 4:30am and my eyes were bleeding…nah, just kidding - it was 3:30.

-

Adelaide stormed off into the other room. She snatched the champagne from Mike and drank it straight from the bottle.

"That should do it," she said to no one in particular, sinking into a seat.

Hans soon appeared, the other terrorists behind him, and announced, "Well, it is time we all pack up this little party and leave. Theo, have you…?"

Theo nodded. "All done, boss."

"Good," Hans said.

"But there's a slight problem," Theo said, making Hans turn abruptly. "Apparently, the alarm's been activated. The cops will have heard it by now."

"What did you do, Theo?"

"Hey, it wasn't me! One of the guests must've…"

Theo did not need to say anymore. Hans immediately pulled out his gun. "Who did it?" he demanded angrily, and after no response he said, "I'm sorry, I thought you all spoke English. Wer machte es?"

"You're not going to get them to admit to it with a weapon in their faces," Adelaide said, standing up and lowering Hans' gun with her hand. "Listen, could whoever activated the alarm please step forward?" Again, no one flinched. "Well, I tried. Any more bright ideas?"

"Theo, can you disable it?" Hans asked.

"I'm on it," Theo said. "But there's some sort of firewall. I can't get to the main system."

"That's probably 'cause you haven't gotten 'round the firewall," Adelaide murmured mindlessly, taking another swig of alcohol.

"No shit, Sherlock," Theo said. "I don't suppose you know _how_ to get around it?"

Adelaide stumbled over to Theo and pressed a couple keys on his laptop. The blinking message reading 'Active Firewall' disappeared. Theo was impressed beyond words.

"Hey, we could use this girl on our side," he managed to say after awhile.

"That wouldn't be wise," Karl said, still unable to forgive Adelaide.

"God, you're a hard-ass, aren't you?" Adelaide said, making Karl scowl even more. "Is this all we have – champagne? What kind of party from hell is this?"

"Adelaide…are you drunk?" Hans questioned.

"Why, yes I am, thank you," Adelaide replied, smiling.

"Well, good news, the alarm's disabled," Theo reported. "Bad news, the cops were already alerted. They'll be here in…" Suddenly, police sirens were heard, coming closer. "…now."

Hans again let loose German profanities and ran to the front door, accompanied by Karl, Franco, and Kristoff. Simon, who had been silent and sitting in a far chair for all this time, stood up and joined them as they returned.

"Even the greatest of criminals get caught," he said to Hans, not genuinely concerned. "Look at Al Capone."

"Yes, but he was finally just arrested for the small crime of not paying his taxes," Hans said. "I don't think this is a small crime, do you?"

"You know, you're pretty hot when you're pissed," Adelaide giggled.

"Oh, God, will someone please shut her up?" asked Hans.

"Is that our main priority, right now?" Theo asked. "We need to get the hell outta here!"

Hans looked around, as if for some sort of sign. Running to a back window, he ran a hand through his hair and finally composed himself. "The hangar," he said to the others. "We'll retreat to the hangar."

"I don't think these people will be all too willing," said Eddie.

"We don't have time for unwilling," Hans said. "Up! Get everyone up!"

In a matter of minutes, the guests were forced outside into the cold, where Uli and Alexander were prying open the large doors.

Adelaide could not stand still. She would have run out and screamed, if Hans had not covered her mouth with his hand. The other guests had the harsher restraint of guns pointed at their heads.

The police sirens could be heard for a short while, signaling that the cars had stopped outside of the airport. The doors were slamming shut and the tires were squealing, as the cars turned around and disappeared.

"This is getting quite frequent," Hans noted, the first one to speak. "Karl, Tony – see if you can't get into that plane."

"How?" Tony asked.

"I don't know – smash it in with something," Hans suggested. "Adelaide – check if all the policemen have really gone."

"Me?" she questioned, the alcohol's effects beginning to wear off. "Why me?"

Simon made a noise of disapproval. "Dear brother, do you really think it is entirely proper for a woman to risk her life for a handful of unimportant men?"

Hans opened his mouth to say something, but Karl beat him to it. "Last time we showed compassion, one of our own was killed," he said, with hatred in his voice.

"All right, all right, I'm going," Adelaide said, throwing up her hands in defeat. She peered outside around the hangar doors. "All clear, boys."

Once again, the guests were herded to a new location, like sheep to another pasture. Many of them looked tired and worn out, as it was about two-thirty in the morning.

When the terrorists were alone and talking, Julia and Mike pulled Adelaide aside. "I really don't like this," Julia said.

"Like what?" questioned Adelaide.

"The terrorists having complete control over us! This is not exactly how I pictured my Christmas."

"Hey, d'you think I planned this?"

"No, I'm just saying – "

"Listen, they're feeding us, letting us sleep, and they're not hurting us…"

"They killed Grigori!"

"They thought someone was missing."

"Oh, so now you're defending them?"

"I'm just saying what I think."

"Oh, God, we've lost her. She must have that Stockholm Syndrome."

"Ya know," piped up Mike. "There's been an account of some chick gettin' engaged to her captor."

"Not helping!" Julia exclaimed.

"By trying to make me feel like you do, you're just as bad as the terrorists," said Adelaide.

"Don't compare me to them," Julia shot. "I've worked with you for over seven years, but now I don't even think I know you."

Adelaide put her hands on her hips. "Well, I haven't changed. So it must be you."

With that, she stormed off to where Hans and the others were. "There she goes again," Julia said to Mike, sighing. "Helping the enemy."

-**A/N: **I just realized something. Al Capone's nickname was "Scarface", and the tagline for "Scarface" (1987) was "He loved the American Dream. With a vengeance." And, the third "Die Hard" movie is "Die Hard: With a Vengeance". Well, you get the picture. :P


	9. Confessions

**A/N:** Hey, hey, hey! Another chapters up, as it grows ever closer to the end of this story. sniff Enjoy!

-

As Adelaide walked up to them, she appeared to have interrupted something, for Hans, Simon, Karl, and Theo stopped talking immediately.

"So what's up?" Adelaide asked, sensing the tension.

"I love it how you automatically think you're in the group and are entitled to our information," Theo said.

"I'm not in 'the group'," Adelaide confirmed, making quotation marks with her fingers. "I don't want to be in 'the group'. Hell, once this thing is over, I want to get as far away from 'the group' as possible."

"Oh, you don't mean that," Simon said. "Will anything make you stay?"

Adelaide was about to reply, when Hans said, "She doesn't need to remain with us. If you truly wanted what was best for her, you would suggest that she lose all contact with us." Hans then turned to Adelaide. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"But…" Adelaide began, rethinking her previous thoughts. "I _want_ to stay…"

Adelaide thought she saw a hint of a smile on Hans' lips, but when she blinked, it was gone. _'I must've imagined it,'_ she thought, lowering her eyes. _'He doesn't want me around, slowing them down…'_

As if reading her thoughts, Hans lifted her chin up with his hand and said, "You would be a very valuable asset."

"Is that all I'd be good for?" Adelaide asked.

However, before Hans could answer, Simon interrupted, "Do you really a smart girl like Adelaide is going to be around you? Wouldn't she prefer someone who's a little more…adventurous?"

Hans merely blinked. "No."

Adelaide did not know what was happening, but it was definitely pissing her off. "Will you two just cut the crap and tell me what the hell is going on? Why do you keep arguing over me? Am I like some prize to be won, to you people?"

"No, no, of course not," Simon comforted, wrapping his arm around her. "You mustn't ever think that."

"Then what am I supposed to think?" Adelaide thought for a moment, not wanting to admit that Julia was right. "This has all changed me. How am I supposed to just return to my old life, after all I've been through."

"We manage just fine," Hans replied.

"But taking over and blowing up buildings is your life. You're used to this."

"Terrorism is more than 'blowing up buildings'."

"Clearly."

"Uh, Boss?" came Theo's voice. "Sorry to interrupt, but we really need to leave. I've only got it set for ten more minutes – "

"Ten minutes?" repeated Hans, only slightly louder than Theo. "Now why the hell would you do that?"

"I thought we'd be out earlier!" Theo exclaimed. "I didn't take into account any arguing with chicks!"

Hans brushed his hand through his hair again. "Fine, well, let's get these people out."

"What did you do?" Adelaide questioned. "What's set to ten minutes? Oh, my God, is there a bomb?"

"Quiet," Hans warned. "Do you want everyone to panic?"

"Maybe," she replied. "Think about it – it'll get everyone out of here faster, right?"

"They will think we are trying to kill them."

"Aren't you?"

"We're terrorists, not monsters."

"All men are monsters." Hans expected Adelaide to say something along that line, but the voice did not belong to her. It was Simon.

Hans turned around, just in time for Simon to punch him square in the jaw. "What was that for, you little shit?" he spat at his brother.

"For ruining my life," Simon said.

Checking for blood in his mouth, Hans asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Someone at a party introduces you to your mother's only sister's husband's sister in law. He has no brothers. What do you call this lady?"

"Quit hiding yourself behind riddles, Simon."

"But you must answer it."

Hans scanned his mind for answers, but found none. He desperately looked at Adelaide for help. She mouthed the word, '_mother_' to him.

"Mother?" he said aloud.

"Very good," Simon said. "Yes, the answer is mother. Our mother. The one who praised her intellectual son and ignored me. Her firstborn child!"

"Is that what this is all about?"

"No, but it is one of the reasons."

"What's another?"

"Adelaide."

Adelaide blinked, not quite following the conversation until now. "What does this have to do with me? I…I'm not important."

At that moment, Simon grabbed Adelaide. Hans took a step forward, afraid of what his brother would do.

"Calm down, dear Hans," Simon said, flashing a grin. "I'm not going to hurt her. I would never dream of hurting her." He turned to Adelaide. "And that's why I want you to be my girlfriend. Come back with me to Germany."

"Wh-what?" Adelaide stuttered. "I…I can't. My home is Los Angeles. We've only just met."

"Oh, but it doesn't feel like that, does it? We belong together, Adelaide."

Adelaide's lip trembled. "Um, I…"

"Get off her!" Hans yelled, pushing Simon out of the way.

This resulted in Adelaide retreating to a safe distance, while Hans and Simon began their fight.

Simon swung and missed, as Hans punched him in the stomach. Simon backed off, winded. He looked at his younger brother, grinned, and said, "We do not know when it is coming, but when we do know, we cannot stop it."

"Are you not capable of having a normal conversation?" Hans exclaimed in frustration.

"Oh, my God, Hans!" Adelaide cried. "It's death! The answer's death! Simon wants to kill you!"

As Hans turned to look at her, Simon pulled out a revolver and shot him in the chest. Adelaide screamed something fierce. Losing his balance terribly, Hans stumbled into a wall.

"Please," Adelaide sobbed, running over to Hans. "No more…"

Simon walked over to them, breathing heavily. "So, are you choosing him?" he spat. "My younger, absorbed, unexciting, brother?"

"You forgot sophisticated, intelligent, and charming…" Hans said, wincing in pain.

Simon still looked to Adelaide for a response, who looked up to him with tears in her eyes. "Yes," she managed to say quietly. "I choose Hans."


	10. First Kiss

**A/N:** Here's the tenth chapter! It's almost done! By the title, you can all probably guess what's gonna happen. Yay!

-

Both Hans and Simon looked stunned, only Hans moreso. It seemed that Simon had suspected this all along. "Well, this is awkward," Hans said, holding his side.

Adelaide dashed forward, ripping Hans' shirt. She applied pressure to his wound, much to Hans' discomfort, and wrapped the white material around his stomach. Hans looked up at her gratefully.

"Well, I think I'll be heading off with my share," Simon said. Adelaide stood up to say something, but before she had the chance, Simon was gone.

She would have gone after him, if Theo hadn't returned to the room. "Boss, this entire place is going to blow in five minutes! Where'd Simon go?"

"Adelaide, uh…scared him away, actually," Hans replied, sort of in awe himself.

"Holy crap – five minutes?" Adelaide exploded. "We gotta go!"

She ran out into the other room and screamed, "Everybody out! Move, people, move! Go! Get out!"

Unsure of what to do, the guests awkwardly made their way out to the back of the airport. It was still fairly dark in the city, but there was a hint of pink in the horizon.

"You sure know how to motivate people," Hans commented.

Adelaide smiled, just as the whole building exploded. She covered her ears and Hans held her close. "Oh, my God," she said suddenly, clutching her throat.

"What?" Hans questioned. "What is it?"

"My key," she said. "The thirteenth key. It's still inside?"

"I'm sorry, meaning what…exactly?"

"It may have been just a pawn in your master gameplan, but it was an heirloom."

"It may have already been destroyed."

"Not if it was left in the basement." Adelaide looked up at Hans, as he released his grip on her arm. "I have to try."

Adelaide ran into the fiery building, and Hans prayed that no police would arrive at the scene just yet.

Adelaide coughed as smoke filled her lungs. Her eyes began to water, and she tried to stay low to the ground. She crawled her way to the basement, and felt around for the keys. Adelaide eventually recognized hers, after retrieving the others', as well.

Coughing some more, she tried to make her way out, but found it impossible. Feeling extremely weak, she soon passed out.

"What's taking her?" Hans said, pacing around outside. The guests were growing nervous, but Karl and the other terrorists kept them in line.

"She's probably just having a bit of difficulty finding the keys," Theo confirmed.

"But what kind of gentleman am I, not to go help her?" Hans said. "Watch the guests."

"Hans!" Theo yelled. "Hans!"

Hans was gone. As he ran inside the burning building, he pulled up his shirt to limit the amount of smoke breathed in.

"Adelaide!" he called out, coughing. "Adelaide!"

He sunk to the ground and crawled around. Suddenly, he felt his hand brush against something soft. It was Adelaide.

Hans picked her up, just as a burning beam fell in front of his path. He went a long way around and carried Adelaide out of the airport in his arms. As Adelaide, coming around, felt the cold air around her and coughed. Hans placed her down lightly on the ground.

"You were a fool, running into that building," Hans said, moving a stray strand of ashen hair away from her face.

"Then so were you to come after me," Adelaide smiled.

Hans helped her up, and she brushed off her skirt. Just then, they both noticed a remaining, slightly singed, twig of mistletoe on the ground.

"So, is mistletoe also a tradition in Germany?" Adelaide questioned.

"Yes, but we – er – believe that you don't need to be under it," Hans replied quickly.

"That's a lie, isn't it?" Adelaide asked, grinning.

"Yes."

Suddenly, Hans pulled her into a kiss. A deep, passionate one. Not the kind of kiss one would expect to receive from a terrorist. As, they broke apart, Adelaide's eyes fluttered back open.

"How was that for your first kiss?" Hans asked.

"Wow," she breathed. "You are a really good kisser…for a terrorist."

Hans grinned.

"Touching, touching," Theo said. "Now, please, for the last fucking time – let's get the fuck out of here!"

Once again, everyone was ushered near the hangars. Kristoff was an experienced pilot, though not completely adjusted to the controls.

The guests only sat down after Adelaide comforted them by assuring that the Germans would land the plane safely in Los Angeles.

And they did. It was about four o'clock in the morning when they arrived there, safe and sound. Hans and Karl helped everyone out of the plane.

Standing in front of them all, Hans addressed them. "Attention, everyone," he began. "As you may or may not have noticed, we are in Los Angeles." He walked up to Mike and handed him a pen, placing his thumb firmly on the lid of it.

"What is this?" Mike asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't move my finger if I were you," Hans warned, with a smile creeping up on his face. "If you lift it, the pen will explode. On the trip over here, I just didn't think I could trust the lot of you to keep our secret. If any of you move from your spots there on the runway, we will explode the plane. Merry Christmas."


	11. Final Test

**A/N:** Since you all asked so nicely, I've decided to update again. sniff It's the last chapter!

-

"Hans, you jerk!" Adelaide exploded, grabbing hold of Hans. "You conniving, back-stabbing asshole jerk!"

Hans just smiled.

"So, now you show your true colors, huh?" Adelaide questioned, hands on hips. "These people were just a part of the game-plan. Well, why don't you kill me with them?"

"No, Adelaide!" Mike shouted. "Run away from here! You can still survive from all this!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Adelaide called back. "Hans, deactivate it!"

"It can't be deactivated," he replied.

Adelaide was at the point where there were tears forming in her eyes. "Please, Hans…"

"I'm sorry," he said, somewhat remorsefully. "What's done is done."

"Adelaide, move," Mike said. "I'm gonna lift my finger."

"Don't!" Adelaide screamed in terror.

"I have no choice. Now move. You need something to tell your grandkids."

"Don't even say that, Mike. I won't let you die."

"Three…"

"Mike, stop!"

"…two…"

"No, please! Mike, don't!"

"…one."

The pen gave a loud "pop" and everyone ducked. Adelaide opened one eye to see that the guests, the pen, and the plane were all in tact.

"What the…?" Adelaide began in disbelief.

"Like I said," Hans replied, placing his arms on Adelaide's shoulders. "I'm not a monster."

"That was a horrible trick!" Adelaide said, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Mike, is it?" Hans questioned the shaking man. "You can keep the pen. It's a souvenir of your little adventure. But if you say anything to the cops, I will hurt you and your family who currently reside at 23 Parkview North."

Mike gulped and pocketed the pen.

"Hans, if you were to kill one of us, who would it be?" Adelaide questioned, a thought coming to her.

"I go by a 'first come, first serve' basis," he replied.

"That's awful!"

"Again, a joke. You have to stop taking things so seriously, Adelaide."

Adelaide gave a little smile. "I do have another question – why was that money in the airport?"

"The money was from a large heist back in 1970. A lot of people were killed, and the group of thieves found that they couldn't run off with one billion dollars. And where else to hide it but an airport? Who would ever suspect that?"

"Well, you did."

"Yes, but we are trained professionals. As for the rest of you, I suggest you hail some taxis and get a good night's rest. And perhaps, if you're good, Santa will leave you some presents under the tree."

Still extremely shaken up, one by one, they disappeared into taxis. In a couple of minutes, Adelaide and the terrorists were the only ones occupying the runway.

"You're a very unique man, Mr. Grüber," Adelaide mused, smiling and placing her arms around Hans' neck. "Tell me – what exactly is the terrorist state of mind? What do you do, now that you have one billion dollars to spend?"

"Well, we are now going to infiltrate Nakatomi Plaza and retrieve six million dollars in bearer bonds," Hans replied. "And I think you could fill a position with us."

"So, it's official – welcome to the group, Addie," Theo said, placing his arm around her neck. "I think you're gonna like it."

Adelaide smiled in response. She looked up at Karl, who also gave a slight smile and nod.

"Well," Adelaide said. "Off to another event that, if caught, will land us a cell in jail and a spot in hell."

The others laughed. "If caught," Hans noted. "_If_ we are caught. And if everything goes right, I don't think we'll need to worry about it."

"But I am wondering…why not stop? You have enough money as it is."

"See, my dear," started Hans. "The thing about terrorists is…we don't just stop at one."

-

**A/N:** Yep, it's short, but it's done. Thanks to my most avid readers, redlady27, and Angel-of-Darkness25. Thanks for playing along! Ciao!


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